More than 750 women and men, representatives of local, national, regional and international institutions, civil society organizations and experts convened at the Third Multi-Hazard Early Warning Conference (MHEWC-III). The Conference was convened under the aegis of the International Network for Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems and 21 institutions, from both the public and private sector, contributed to its organization.
This is the sixth time since 1998, that multi-hazard early warning conferences have taken place. These are key venues for exchanging on early warning science, policies and practices, to develop guidelines, frameworks and norms and assessing progress on early warning systems that enable anticipatory action. Since 2017, the Early Warning Conferences have been held in the margins of the UN’s Global Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP/DRR) - in recognition that effective early warning systems are an essential element of disaster risk reduction.
The Conference took place shortly following the declaration by UN Secretary-General Guterres that the UN will spearhead new action to ensure every person on Earth is protected by Early Warning Systems within five years. A plan, led by WMO, with many partners will be presented at UNFCCC COP27. It is expected to further accelerate the implementation of Sendai Target G, to substantially increase availability of and access to early warnings. The Conference provided the first opportunity to convene on this topic.
UN Women played a significant role in ensuring critical sessions were gender-responsive and inclusive, securing women from across the globe to share their perspectives, and in ensuring the outcome document highlighted gender gaps and priorities for action.
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